%0 Journal Article
%A Esat, Taner
%A Lechtenberg, Benedikt
%A Deilmann, Thorsten
%A Wagner, Christian
%A Krüger, Peter
%A Temirov, Ruslan
%A Rohlfing, Michael
%A Anders, Frithjof B.
%A Tautz, F. S.
%T A chemically driven quantum phase transition in a two-molecule Kondo system
%J Nature physics
%V 12
%N 9
%@ 1745-2481
%C Basingstoke
%I Nature Publishing Group
%M FZJ-2016-05158
%P 867 - 873
%D 2016
%X The magnetic properties of nanostructures that consist of a small number of atoms or molecules are typically determined by magnetic exchange interactions. Here, we show that non-magnetic, chemical interactions can have a similarly decisive effect if spin-moment-carrying orbitals extend in space and therefore allow the direct coupling of magnetic properties to wavefunction overlap and the formation of bonding and antibonding orbitals. We demonstrate this for a dimer of metal–molecule complexes on the Au(111) surface. A changing wavefunction overlap between the two monomers drives the surface-adsorbed dimer through a quantum phase transition from an underscreened triplet to a singlet ground state, with one configuration being located extremely close to a quantum critical point.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000383219800015
%R 10.1038/nphys3737
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/819515